Politics, History Development and International Relations

What will you learn?

As a research student you will work under a supervisor who will assist you in your research and thesis design. Principal supervisors will normally be members of the School but secondary supervisors may be drawn from other schools in the Faculty, from staff in the School of Politics and International Relations in the UK,or the Division of International Studies in Ningbo, China.

PhD students may apply to study at one of the University’s other campuses for periods of between 3-12 months. You are typically required to take a module in Research Methods and Design,and either audit or sit modules which complement your particular research interest. You are also encouraged to take courses offered by the Graduate School, and are required to attend faculty and school research seminars and the fortnightly meetings of the Early Career Research Network.

You will normally be enrolled on the MPhil degree first and then progress on to the PhD. The minimum registration period for a PhD is two years full-time, though students invariably take three years research with a further year to write up the 100,000 word thesis. The final assessment is via the written thesis and a viva voce (oral) examination. Progress is assessed on an annual basis: failure to pass the annual review will result in either a termination of the degree, or its down-grading from PhD to MPhil. MRes degrees last one year and are assessed through course work and a dissertation.

From the Year 2, you may be allowed to undertake a small amount of paid work in the school, typically as a research or teaching assistant. You are also allocated funds for research, dissemination and resource costs.